Iron Deposition and Functional Connectivity Differences in Females With Migraine Without Aura: A Comparative Study of Headache Sides

• Published in: Brain and behavior Vol. 14; no. 10; pp. e70096 - n/a
• Main Authors: Zhang, Yan, Bai, Mingxian, Xiong, Zhenliang, Zhang, Qin, Wang, Lihui, Zeng, Xianchun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.10.2024; John Wiley and Sons Inc; Wiley
• Subjects: Adult; Brain - diagnostic imaging; Brain - physiopathology; Brain research; Cerebellum - diagnostic imaging; Cerebellum - physiopathology; Disease; Female; Females; functional connectivity; Functional Laterality - physiology; Headaches; Humans; Iron; Iron - metabolism; iron deposition; laterality; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Males; Middle Aged; Migraine; migraine without aura; Migraine without Aura - diagnostic imaging; Migraine without Aura - physiopathology; Original; Prospective Studies; Quality of life; Young Adult; iron deposition; functional connectivity; migraine without aura; laterality
• ISSN: 2162-3279; 2162-3279
• DOI: 10.1002/brb3.70096

ABSTRACT Background The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying migraine without aura (MwoA) in females remain incompletely elucidated. Currently, the association between headache laterality and iron deposition (ID), and functional connectivity (FC) in female MwoA patients has not been fully studied. Methods We prospectively recruited 63 female patients with MwoA and 31 matched healthy controls (HC) from the hospital. ID and FC among the four groups were analyzed using two‐sample t‐tests (with cluster‐wise family‐wise error [FWE] correction). Pearson correlation analysis was used to evaluate the relationships between clinical variables and both ID and FC values. Significance level: p < 0.05. Results Compared to HC, left‐sided MwoA exhibited differences in ID in various brain regions, including the cerebellum, left orbital inferior frontal gyrus, left calcarine gyrus, right putamen, and left caudate nucleus, as well as exhibited enhanced FC between the left lobule III of the cerebellum and the right superior temporal gyrus. Compared to bilateral MwoA, left‐sided MwoA showed significantly enhanced in FC values in the left calcarine gyrus, the right precentral gyrus, the right postcentral gyrus, and the right lingual gyrus. Additionally, significant differences were observed in the Pearson correlations between clinical variables and both ID and FC in the female MwoA subgroups. Conclusion Our study provided preliminary evidence indicating significant differences in ID, FC, and correlations among subgroups of female MwoA. This provides neuroimaging references for further subclassifying MwoA patients. This offers valuable insights into potential pathophysiological mechanisms linked to the brain functional impairment in female MwoA.